Allen’s extra motivation

He’s thrilled to get the chance to play in a bowl game, as you might expect. While everyone enjoys the bowl game, it’s different for a guy whose career ended abruptly … or so he thought.

Allen, a senior from Pine Bluff, was the Rebels’ leader in games played (46) and starts (31) when he went down with a knee injury against Vanderbilt.

As it turned out, Allen had a slight tear of the minor knee ligament, not the major one.

“They took me in and told me it was my MCL, and they said, ‘You can come back from that if we get bowl eligible.’ I had a little bit of a shot,” he said.

That ray of hope was enough to push Allen to work even harder in his rehab.

“It helps a lot, gives you something to work for. Instead of like, ‘You’re done,’ and you’re just slowly getting through it, in the back of your mind you’re like, ‘I can actually play one more game my senior year in college.’ It helps you be dedicated and really want to work harder.”

With the loss of Jamal Mosley to grades, the tight end position becomes a little tricky against Pitt. Allen won’t be asked to do anything beyond what he’s ready to do, but his role may be a little bigger than just getting the senior a handful of plays. If he can handle more that’s a bonus for Ole Miss.